TURA:
Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Sangma has accused the Conrad K Sangma government of deliberately delaying the start of the Ganol hydro project by five long years to extract its resources and warned that if brought to power his party would call for a thorough probe into its delayed construction.
Speaking to media persons after the success of the party’s rally in Mendipathar, Mukul Sangma questioned the “delay” in completion of the first hydroelectric project of Garo Hills.
“When I was deputy chief minister in charge of power I had laid the foundation stone but in 2008 we could not form the government and under Dr Donkuper Roy government Conrad Sangma became the power minister and there was a deliberate delay in the allotment of the tender for the project which led to the lapse of the tender. No one would do the work since cost escalation took place with the prices of machines, cement and other commodities rising. When I became chief minister I obtained funds under the Rural Infrastructural Development Fund for projects including Ganol,” claimed Mukul Sangma.
He said the question of stalling the hydro project’s construction shouldn’t have arisen since money for the works were put under the “TIED Fund” for specific projects.
“The Ganol project was supposed to be inaugurated in December 2018, but my government handed over power on 6th March of the same year. After that the project languished for five years because it became a milching cow for someone to make use of for his or their personal greed. There is more than what meets the eye and therefore I will ensure there is a thorough probe when we come to power,” warned the former chief minister as he accused the NPP government of hurriedly inaugurating the same, this month, to show to the people it was doing something.